Review: Set in a Video Game World, Free Guy Features Vibrant Visuals But Mediocre Humor
The challenge I’ve always put to filmmakers who choose to adapt a video game into a movie is to make it accessible to someone who has never played a modern […]
Steve Prokopy is chief film critic for the Chicago-based arts outlet Third Coast Review. For nearly 20 years, he was the Chicago editor for Ain’t It Cool News, where he contributed film reviews and filmmaker/actor interviews under the name “Capone.” Currently, he’s a frequent contributor at /Film (SlashFilm.com) and Backstory Magazine. He is also the public relations director for Chicago's independently owned Music Box Theatre, and holds the position of Vice President for the Chicago Film Critics Association. In addition, he is a programmer for the Chicago Critics Film Festival, which has been one of the city's most anticipated festivals since 2013.
Review: An Original Musical from Lin-Manuel Miranda, Vivo Mostly Works as a Lesson in Music and Friendship
In roughly the last year, the world has celebrated the past works of award-winning songwriter and performer Lin-Manuel Miranda with the filmed releases of Hamilton and In the Heights, but […]
Review: With James Gunn at the Helm, The Suicide Squad Brings Characters with Depth and a Story with Plenty of Fun
After working almost exclusively for several years on the first two Guardians of the Galaxy movies (as well as contributing in no small part to the last couple Avengers movies […]
Review: Based on Disney’s Hokey Attraction, Jungle Cruise Struggles to Capture the Same Charm, Comedy as the Ride
There’s a great deal of plot and a great number of characters packed into the latest Disney theme park attraction that has been turned into a feature film, Jungle Cruise. […]
Review: Ride the Eagle Sends Jake Johnson on a Quest to Get to Know His Mother and Himself Better
After seeing so many movies lately that were made pre-pandemic (as well as a handful quite obviously made during), it was genuinely refreshing to see a film about a character […]
Review: Matt Damon Deftly Portrays a Father Seeking Answers, Forgiveness in Stillwater
Something that becomes clear early on in Stillwater, the latest from director Tom McCarthy (Spotlight, The Station Agent), is that lead character Bill Baker (deftly played by Matt Damon) is […]
Review: The Boy Behind the Door Follows Two Young Best Friends through Frightening, Suspenseful Circumstances
A film that debuted a year ago at Fantastic Fest is finally making its way to Shudder this week, but in that year, co-writers/directors David Charbonier and Justin Powell have […]
Interview: Settlers‘ Sofia Boutella on Imagining Life on Mars, the Choreography of Fight Scenes and What Madonna Taught Her
Algerian-born actress Sofia Boutella has had many occupations in her nearly 20-year career. After years of training in nearly every style of dance, her big break came when she was […]
Interview: From Blood Red Sky, Dominic Purcell and Peri Baumeister Talk Vampires, Filming Action Scenes and Working with Young Actors
In the new Netflix film from director/co-writer Peter Thorwarth, Blood Red Sky, two things become eminently clear early on: there are hijackers onboard a redeye flight from Germany to America; […]
Review: Mark Wahlberg Makes for Odd Casting in Joe Bell, Based on a True Story of a Father Seeking Connection
Despite featuring some really strong acting work from pretty much everyone involved, the latest film from Monsters and Men director Reinaldo Marcus Green (who also has King Richard coming out […]
Review: Creepy, Funny and Quirky, Mandibles Is Quintessential Quentin Dupieux
Even when I don’t completely enjoy a film by writer/director Quentin Dupieux (Deerskin, Rubber), I’m still hopelessly excited that he’s allowed to make movies at all, since there is certainly […]
Review: Val Chronicles Val Kilmer’s Career, Family Life and Infamous Bad Boy Reputation
So the story goes that for pretty much the entirety of his adult life, actor Val Kilmer owned various film and video-recording devices that he used to document every film […]